Show V m B l m o The House of Whispers r J iII I By WILLIAM WILLIA JOHN JOHNSTON JOHNTON JOHNSTONe TON J Oo Copyright h by Utile 1111 e Drown A Oo Co a CHAPTER VIM VIlI VIII Continued 11 11 I Nl guess so 80 said Wick where his room Is lies lie's only been here bere In tl the e a few days 1 dont don't kno know much about him And that's all you know about It said Bald the detective turning to me again I 1 hesitated Should I or should I Inot Inot Inot not tell ten them of ot the wall walt safe that I had seen Mr Wick closing There was no way I c uld prove It Undoubtedly Wick would deny having done done so It would be his word against mine As superintendent his word would undoubtedly undoubtedly un un- un- un carry 1 I decided it would I be best to withhold my Information to toa toj j a more propitious time all aU I J know except what Mr Wick has told you 1 sal said Very well said the detective in charge You can go now and you too Doctor Mr Wick was escorting the doctor to the door The detectives had withdrawn with d drawn to the room where the body lay were holding a whispered confer confer- ence I stepped quickly kly to the wall wan safe and making sure that 1 was unobserved unobserved unobserved un un- un- un observed tested the knob It was securely securely se se- se- se fastened I congratulated myself myself myself my my- self on having Ing said nothing about it Wick I felt certain would deny having havIng hav hay ing lag shut it and there was no proof that It had been opened when we had entered As I returned to my own apartment upstairs nearing the top of the short flight of ot steps between the floors I 1 Iwas Iwas was astounded to see a female figure flitting across the hall han and entering the Bradford apartment Though I had bad opportunity for only a brief glimpse I recognized ner ncr at once It was Claire Bradford The door o my apartment was standing wide open I remembered that as I had run downstairs a few moments moments mo mo- ments ago I had neglected t to close It after me From the direction in which sh sha had come It was plain that Claire Bradford had been paying pa-Ing another another another an an- other surreptitious visit to my What could have been her purpose purpose pur pur- pose There must have hare been some strong Impelling motive to make her dare the perilous journey along the window ledge and now nosy at the Imminent imminent im Im- lm- lm risk of discovery to pay me mea a second visit I began seriously to doubt whether the explanation she had offered me rue me was true the true one I was beginning to feel that there was more than a possibility that she was again In the clutches of the unscrupulous rascal who had once been her husban hus hus- ban band d. d Greatly puzzled I 1 made a hasty survey survey survey sur sur- vey of the apartment but could find nothing that appeared to have been disturbed Going back to my own room roomI I hastened nse to 9 place a handkerchief out of my window my-window window as a signal to Barbara for tor I knew she would be anxious to know the meaning of ot the sounds we bad had heard be below ow In a very few moments moments mo mo- ments I heard the tap of her riding riding- crop on my sill sm and hurried to answer What was It she asked In an excited whisper Daisy Lutan an actress who lived on the floor below has lias been murdered shot I IWho Who did It I dont don't know Mr Wick and I went Into the apartment together There was noone there How terrible 1 she exclaimed It Is Indeed I 1 answered but It may help us What do you mean menn With the police in the house ranking rank ing investigations therell there'll be no more threats from the blackmailers for a while JhUe They wont won't dare bother you for the present Do you really think so she questioned questioned ques ques- with a n little sigh of relief Im sure of It Have Haye the police been called In Yes two are downstairs I now Im glad she said With the detectives detectives detectives detectives' de de- de- de here they wont won't dare molest us will wm they Of course not I answered Is your sister at home Yes she answered Our guests have hae Just gone Mother has retired and Claire is In the living room writing writing writ writ- ing a note They heard noth nothing ng so I Idid Idid Idid did not tell them anything about it That hat was wise 1 They'll hear It soon enough H Has s your sl sister ter been In the apartment all aU evening She hasn't been out nil all day unless she went out Just to drop the letter I she was writing down the mail mall chute I In the hall hail Why do you yon ask I NI was merely wondering if It there was any way she could learn of the murder How could she Isn't that too terrible terrible terrible ter ter- ter- ter about Miss LutaO Iut I mustn't talk any longer Good night Walt a n moment I cried There are Bre ome iome things I must discuss with You lyon before I meet Gorman How ut abt meeting me at ot the Astor at nt eleven I 1 1 cant can't promise but Ill I'll try Good n t I There was wao nothing further that I could Jo do and m I J felt sadly in need of rest l Throwing Off rt rr my coat and waistcoat waist waist- cont coat I 1 began making maiLIng preparations for bed The notion took me to once more 3 J Investigate m te the secret passageway I karly on the panel as s I 1 had had bad done before hut lUt this time I 1 could not budge It I tugged and worked aLt arol aud pounded but it stuck fast In spite of ot nil all riy efforts As I was struggling to force oree It open there came a sharp ring nt ot the tue bell of ot the ap apartment As I Iwas Iwas Iwas was in my shirt sleeves leeves I answered It The lie two detectives I had seen downstairs stood there What Is it I J a asked kedI ked I arrest you for Cor the murder of ot Daisy Dalsy Dai Dal- sy Lutan said one of them and with with that the they sprang forward ard and pinioned rn my arms Why this Is absurd I laughed In their faces conscious of my utter Innocence innocence innocence in In- of ot f the crime I 1 had nothing to do with It it That remains to b be seen Put on your coat and come along Still holding me fast Cast they went back with me to my ray bedroom ClutchIng ClutchIng Clutch- Clutch Ing lag nie me tight they made me put on my coat and no sooner had I done doneso so than one of ot them snapped handcuffs band hand cuffs on me Look at this Jim said one of them pointing to a spot on the froIt front of my ray coat blood all right said the theother theother other after inspecting itI it ft itI I got that when hen I was v helping Mr Wick lift the body to the couch I protested Tell TeU that t to the Judge the detective detective detective de de- de- de called Jim scoffed Better look around for the gun Cult Cullen en find no gun here I cried I never owned one Nevertheless Cullen began rummagIng rummaging rummaging ing through the drawers of my dresser Suddenly he gave a triumphant exclamation excia- excia mation and drew something from beneath beneath beneath be be- neath a a. pile of shirts in the second drawer Here It Is he be anno announced holding H 1 Here It Is II He Announced Holding Up Before My Astonished Eyes an Autom Automatic tlc Revolver up before my astonished eyes an automatic automatic automatic au au- au- au revolver I never saw It before I gasped The detective merely laughed Theres one bullet gone said the theman theman theman man who was examining It Come along young fellow said the other detective gruffly The bullet bullet bullet bul bul- let settles It Weve We've got the right party part CHAPTER IX A prisoner in a police station cell I f passed a sleepless night Conscious as I 1 was of ot my utter Innocence and confident of my speedy release never never- nevertheless I had to admit that the detectives de do e- e from their point of view were perfectly Justified In placing me Under under under un un- der arrest For a burglar to have hae gained access to the apartments without the con connivance ivance iv- iv ance of the employees seemed almost an Impossibility For him to have escaped from the building after havIng having hav hay ing murdered Miss Lutan without being being be be- ing detected seem d also highly im im- im probable Then too there was the damning evidence of the blood on my coat and the fact that I 1 had been found at the door of the apartment I had not observed the stain on m my clothing until the detectives df discovered cov- cov ered It h. My explanation of how It had gotten there was the true one yet I could readily realize that it might sound fishy to others On th the face fire of it the tragedy In Inthe Inthe Inthe the looked like an inside Job joh The revolver with one bullet ml missing mining was the strongest sort of ot evidence evi evl- dence denee that I 1 was the murderer Yet YetI I never had seen the weapon wallon I before rore and could not Imagine lne who could have ha placed it there There was only one explanation possible It had lint been purposely pur lur planted there with the definite object of throwing suspicion on me The one person the person the only person person- whom I Knew to have been In my ray rooms after the murder was committed I was Claire Bradford Could she he have done Jone It I remembered that Barbara had showed me a revolver In her pos pOJ session I I. I wondered If this could be bethe bethe bethe the same weapon I did not think it possible that tant Claire herself could ouid have used it I could Imagine no no motive mothe why Claire Bradford would want to to tok k kill Miss Lutan yet it must have been I I she who had hidden the Ute revolver in my j I dresser What had been her motive 0 How had she got got POSs possession of f the revolver revolver re re- re- re volver er after the murder Come what may I bad no intention of or telling any not anyone one one nOt not even Gorman of f. of Claires Claire's second visit t to my apartment apart apart- ment For Barbaras Barbara's sake 1 I made up my mind l II would keep my lips closed about that Incident even if It I 1 had to to stay in prison Inde indefinitely At the po po- lice Ice station when the det detectives cUves had brought me in In I J I. I bad bad quietly but firmly refused to answer answer any questions although although although al al- al- al though they had badgered me me for tor n nearly neary near near- arIy ar- ar ly Iy y two hours before they let me alone Where did you jou ou live lve before you came carne to the Where did you work Where is Rufus Gaston Where do your people live Why did ld you kill Daisy Lutan r did you get the money you rou have Weve got the goods on you ou Why 1 confess dont don't you These TheRe were the sort of questions that were flung ung at me first by one and then the other Evidently E at at at first they had bad hopes of breaking me down I 1 have nothing to to say had been my unvarying un answer to all aU their ques ques- Finally they gave It up tip and locked me In a cell for the for the night leaving me thankful t that mt the honor of being n a suspected suspected sus- sus sus sus- p murderer relieved me from sharing a cell ceU with some of f the frowsy prisoners I saw brought past my ray y barred jarred door you any friends you would like to have notified was t the e last lost question they asked as they left meI I 1 have ha nothing to say I I repeated once more Nor was this answer this time mere stubbornness Who Vho was there that I could notify of my plight Birge and Roller my two Intimates were somewhere somewhere somewhere some some- where on tle high seas The men whom I had known In the office where I had worked for tor obvious reasons were not to be called on I had no Idea of the whereabouts whereabouts' of my aged relatives beyond the fact that they were somewhere In Maine I had no intention whatever of f com communicating the fact of my arrest to tomy tomy to tomy my mother Indeed I was hoping that she would not hear of It until after my innocence was established shed I 1 thought of Gorman I would ha have e been glad of his counsel but butI I 1 r remembered remembered mem- mem that I did not know where he lived JIved He had told tod me he be was giving up his position at the hotel It would be useless to try to find him until morning Yet in spite of my apparent friendlessness friendlessness friend friend- although to all aU appearances t there ere was no one in New York rork to whom I could turn in In this time of ot trouble it was was a wonderful comfort to feel that hat liat I was sure of one stanch friend friend Barbara Barbara Bradford Although we had been acquainted but buta a few days and although hardly a word of love had pas passed ed between us I knew that her feeling for me already ac Y was something greater than friendship I knew that she trusted me and that she would remain faithful in her affection affection affection af af- af- af for me no matter what accusations ae- ae ac were brought aga against me me I had been madly in love with her from almost the first time I saw her Whatever Whatever Whatever What What- ever happened I must keep b her herout r rout out of ot It I must find some means of ot warning her to say nothing to any one I knew that her first Impulse as soon as she heard Of my arrest would be beto beto beto to come to my rescue regardless of or orthe the fact that In tn establishing an alibi for Cor me she would be bc blasting her own reputation Under no circumstances even een If I was convicted must she be permitted to speak No explanation can account for the presence presence of ofa a young girl alone alon In ina 1 ti a man rooms at eleven o o'clock lock at night even eYen though she and and I both both knew v how bow Utterly utterly ut Ut- t- t terly undeserving of censure her pre presence ence there ere wasand how Important had been her motive in coming there Mention of Barbaras Barbara's name In an any anyway anyway way In connection with a case would be certain to wreck her ber sisters sister's matrimonial plans It would mean menn the r ruin ln of her mothers mother's ambitions and the unmasking o. o of the parlous condition condition condi condi- tion of their finances es It would mean that the reproaches of her mother and aster ster would be he heaped on my Barbaras Barbara's Barbaras Bar Bar- baras bara's poor head I was wag ai still unsatIsfied In my own mind a as to just what part Claire Bradford Bradford Brad Brad- ford was playing In the web of mystery rays mys tery tory about us She fhe was emotional tint and flighty ty given to doing rash things s. s I II I f felt that there was a strong l Iy y that relations with her exl u ex ex u hand band had been heen In some w way y re established I t felt nt times that she was 18 being used usel n as a tool by the conspirators in the the Gran deck mysteries If It Claire was involved In any way It behooved me meto meto meto to move carefully lest she s should be betrayed In my efforts efforts' to clear my self There was nothing for me to todo do but butto butto butto to sit tight an and take my plight it as philosophically as I 1 could until I could get in touch with Gorman As A As soon is as It was morning 4 J I bribed a n Jail jaB attendant at attendant lit lit- to o bring me a morning n news ws- ws vs- vs paper On the first page I found Sound an an account of f the murder iglar- iglar under under gar r lug log headlines and read It with Intense intense In In- tense Interest my conviction growing with each line Une that I read rend that the me was as far for better newer at against police pollee Sacked case I 1 ever eve Ima Imagined it It I. I backed up U than could be mind d my 1 made up Then and nd there believe anything on again to to- never No Noone Noone Noone evidence circumstantial rely p purely utterly than 1 I how bow one one knew knew- better how UPS hoW Tip Tip- innocent I J was of that that crime crime had York New v conduct in York right my motives for or oran beU be n and how honest my all an my recent actions actions' ns' ns had been yet th this s is |